Cowboys great Sanders says Dallas should re-sign WR Bryant

Former Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) has been unable to catch on with another team and Deion Sanders says the Cowboys should re-sign him.Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports (file photo)

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders wants to see free-agent wide receiver Dez Bryant return to the Dallas Cowboys.

Sanders told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that had Cowboys owner Jerry Jones realized that tight end Jason Witten was going to retire — and to a lesser extent that wide receiver Terrance Williams was going to get arrested — that the team wouldn’t have released Bryant.

“Let’s just apologize and say, ‘Dez, I’m sorry. I made a mistake. Come on back,'” Sanders said on 105.3 The Fan, via the Dallas Morning News. “You didn’t know Jason Witten was getting ready to (retire). You didn’t know this knucklehead (Williams) was getting ready to do what he did (when he) got out of the car and (ran) out of the Lamborghini. Who leaves the scene of a crime with a Lamborghini?

“Let bygones be bygones, bring the dude back and let’s move on.”

Sanders said that Bryant will be inspired to put in the work this offseason after the team released him.

“I think that Dez is still going to get that ball, and now he has something to prove,” Sanders said. “He wants to prove the world that you guys made a mistake. You guys categorized me wrongly. I know that he has a multitude left in the tank.”

The rest of the NFL might not agree with Sanders’ assessment, as Bryant hasn’t had many teams publicly bidding for his services.

Bryant, who was released by the Cowboys on April 13, reportedly turned down a deal with the Baltimore Ravens. The three-time Pro Bowl selection did write on social media recently that the San Francisco 49ers were a preferred destination but soon deleted the post.

The 29-year-old Bryant, who spent eight seasons with the Cowboys, had a team-leading 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns with Dallas in 2017. He has gone a career-worst 23 regular-season games without a 100-yard performance.

Since signing a five-year, $70-million contract in 2015, Bryant has failed to record a 1,000-yard season or make more than eight touchdown receptions in a season.

Bryant was a touchdown machine in the first half of his career with the Cowboys, hauling in 41 scoring passes in a three-season span, capped by a career-high 16 in 2014. He was named a first-team All-Pro selection that year.

During that spectacular run from 2012-14, Bryant averaged 91 receptions and put up at least 1,233 receiving yards each season.